Psoriasis Foundation launches letter-writing campaign for more federal research dollars
Portland, Ore. (April 14, 2005)—The National Psoriasis Foundation, armed with a powerful new online advocacy tool, has launched its first-ever nationwide letter-writing campaign to urge Congress to increase federal research funding for psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis.
Organized in conjunction with the Psoriasis Foundation's second annual Capitol Hill Day, the letter-writing campaign will reinforce the efforts of nearly 60 Foundation staff and volunteers who lobbied in Washington, D.C., on behalf of more than 5 million people diagnosed with psoriatic diseases. Patients and families from 17 states met with nearly 80 congressional offices on April 11, educating them about these diseases and the critical need for federally funded psoriasis research.
The Psoriasis Foundation is now urging the public to bolster that message by visiting the Foundation Web site at www.psoriasis.org, where a new advocacy tool will allow them to instantly identify and contact their two senators and representative with the click of a button.
"We need more voices telling Congress that federal funding of psoriasis research is critically important," said Leslie Holsinger, Ph.D., a psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis patient and chairman of the Psoriasis Foundation Board of Trustees. "We're asking people to support our Capitol Hill Day efforts by sending this message to Congress."
Last year, Congress spent $28 billion on medical research through the National Institutes of Health (NIH), but overall psoriasis research is lacking, according to the Foundation. The National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS), the largest supporter of psoriasis research within NIH, spent just $1 per American with psoriasis on research for a disease that costs more than $4 billion annually to treat.
"More funding is required for research that will identify the genes involved in psoriasis development and to determine the mechanism for the disease," said Gail M. Zimmerman, president and CEO of the Psoriasis Foundation. "This critical research is necessary to help develop better psoriasis treatments while we work toward a cure."
Activated April 6, the online advocacy tool generated nearly 4,800 letters in 48 hours. The Psoriasis Foundation hopes the letter-writing campaign will generate 10,000 messages to Congress by April 30.
For more information about the campaign or the Psoriasis Foundation, go to www.psoriasis.org or call 800.723.9166.
About psoriasis
Psoriasis is a common, noncontagious genetic skin disease that results when faulty signals in the immune system prompt skin cells to regenerate too quickly, causing painful, red, scaly lesions that can crack and bleed. It often affects the elbows, knees, scalp and torso but can appear anywhere on the body. Ten percent to 30 percent of people with psoriasis also develop psoriatic arthritis, which causes pain, stiffness and swelling in and around the joints. Psoriasis can affect anyone at any age, including children. There is no cure yet for this lifelong disease.
About the National Psoriasis Foundation
The National Psoriasis Foundation is a patient-driven, nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the quality of life of more than 5 million Americans diagnosed with psoriasis and/or psoriatic arthritis and their families. We focus on advocacy, education and research toward better treatments and a cure. For more information, please call the Psoriasis Foundation, headquartered in Portland, Ore., at 800.723.9166 or visit www.psoriasis.org
Media inquiries:
Marketing and Communications Department
National Psoriasis Foundation
503.244.7404, ext. 413
pfasano@psoriasis.org
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